Hebrews 1
PNTHebrews 1:1
If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things. Impress upon them what has just been written. Thou shalt be a good minister. Thus shall Timothy well discharge his office, and prove himself a faithful minister.
Hebrews 1:2
Refuse profane and old wives’ fables. The foolish myths and legends of the heathen, and also the marvelous additions which Jewish rabbis had made to the Old Testament. Reject all these. Exercise thyself [rather] unto godliness. Train thyself to a godly life, as a gymnast trains himself to bodily exercise.
Hebrews 1:3
For bodily exercise profiteth little. The Greeks gave great attention to bodily training. At Ephesus, where Timothy was, may still be seen the remains of the stadium where the athletes displayed their skill. Let Christians display the same assiduity in training for godliness. Godliness is profitable in all things. Godly training makes men happier, more prosperous, more healthy here, and in addition it prepares them for the life to come. The way to reach heaven is not either to starve or to exercise the body.
Hebrews 1:4
This [is] a faithful saying. A trustworthy saying. See 1 Timothy 4:8.
Hebrews 1:5
For therefore. On account of the eternal life which godliness insures. We labour and suffer reproach. Compare 2 Corinthians 11:21-27.
Hebrews 1:6
These things. Especially what has been embraced in 1 Timothy 4:8-10.
Hebrews 1:7
Let no man despise thy youth. The remainder of the chapter is personal. Timothy was much younger than Paul, much younger than most of the presbyters, but he must have been fully thirty-five years old. He was converted about A.D. 46 and was then a young man, quite young, according to the ideas of that age, to be over presbyters. In A.D. 51, Paul had taken him away from home (Acts 16:1-3). I suppose that he must have been twenty at that time. If so, he was from thirty-five to thirty-eight years old at this time. Be thou an example of the believers. So should every preacher be, and in all the characteristics which follow.
Hebrews 1:8
Give attendance to reading. To the reading of the Scriptures to the people. In that age, when printed books were unknown, the knowledge of the Scriptures had to be communicated in this way. To doctrine. To instruction.
Hebrews 1:9
Neglect not the gift that is in thee. The allusion is to special spiritual gifts given to him to fit him for the duties of an evangelist. These were given, and were essential, in that first age. Which was given thee by prophecy. As the Spirit at Antioch said to the prophets, “Separate for me Paul and Barnabas” (Acts 13:2), I suppose a revelation was given that Timothy was to be set apart, and that he would be spiritually endowed for his work. With the laying on of the hands by the presbytery. He was ordained in the usual way, and at the ordination the Spirit conferred upon him new gifts. It must be borne in mind that the ancient evangelists had no New Testament to guide them, and hence needed special qualifications.
Hebrews 1:10
Meditate upon these things. Rather, Let these things be thy special care. Give thyself wholly to them. The preacher must be heart and soul in his work in order to succeed.
Hebrews 1:11
Take heed unto thyself. This is the special duty of every minister. Let him watch himself first of all. And unto the doctrine. Take heed what you teach.
Hebrews 1:13
The Widows of the Church SUMMARY OF I TIMOTHY 5: Rules for Reproving. Honoring Widows. How They Should Be Supported. Who Are to Be Taken into the Number of Widows. The Younger Widows. The Presbyters. A Charge Concerning Timothy’s Death. Rebuke not an elder. An aged man. Treat him with deference due to age. It is evident from the four classes named together, the aged women, and the young women, that the reference in the word “elder” is not to office, but to age.